In order to capture a certain share of the record market and to help Hollywood Records truly rise, Walt Disney devised an extensive promotional campaign. A massive amount of advertising was poured into radio stations, newspapers, and magazines. Even Disney's own television channel was brought in, producing several evening specials that showcased behind-the-scenes footage of the album's production.
They even went so far as to revive the feud between Ryan Jenkins and Tom Cruise under the personal direction of Michael Eisner. And surprisingly, this age-old topic of celebrity conflict still worked wonders.
> "We should thank Mr. Tom Cruise. Perhaps it was his aggressive stance that forced Ryan Jenkins to unleash his brilliant musical talent, responding through his songs and bringing us this outstanding solo album."
That was a report in the California Reader. While discerning readers knew it was clearly a publicity stunt, it was still an immensely satisfying read.
As for what Tom Cruise, returning to Los Angeles from the Caribbean, thought about all this—nobody knew.
Since Ryan had signed a record contract with Hollywood Records, he naturally fulfilled his obligations and fully cooperated with the company's promotional plan. As he was still under sixteen, the contract could only cover one album at a time. The biggest challenge in promoting the album wasn't the media or fans—it was the Children's Association.
As one of the most famous minors in America, Ryan was naturally a key figure on the Association's radar. Everything from Disney's work schedule for him to his academic progress fell under their scrutiny.
This could be considered a fortunate kind of trouble. After all, having such an organization keeping an eye on him meant that, at least before adulthood, many unnecessary issues could be avoided.
Hollywood Records' album signing tour began in New York and ended in Los Angeles, moving east to west through carefully selected major cities. With Ryan's immense personal appeal and the heavy ad campaign, the tour aimed to boost album sales.
In fact, John Burns and Reed Miles had a hidden goal that no one else knew: to convert as many of Ryan's book fans and movie fans into music fans. They didn't need all of them—if even half of them bought the album, the sales numbers would be staggering.
After stops in Boston and Philadelphia, Ryan's team arrived in Nashville, America's music capital. The signing event at the Tennessee Music Center drew nearly ten thousand people.
Since they had arrived in the heart of country music, it was only natural that the performance included country-style songs.
> "Hello friends from Nashville and Tennessee! I didn't expect so many of you to come today. Your enthusiasm is suffocating—I'm almost at a loss for words. So, let's communicate through music instead!"
Still dressed in his usual long-sleeved T-shirt, jeans, and sneakers, Ryan exuded a friendly and approachable air.
> "This is Climb. Let's reach the highest peak of our lives—together!"
As he finished speaking, he strummed his acoustic guitar, and a melody filled with both weight and bounce rang out.
> "Life is like a climb. The path forward is always full of obstacles. Those who never give up, with heads held high, run forward until they reach the highest and most beautiful place—the peak of life. Up there are the fiercest winds, the roughest rocks, the coldest air, and the joy of overcoming every challenge… Life is a climb. As long as you try hard—you will succeed…"
"Whaa—!"
As soon as the song ended, thunderous applause and cheers erupted throughout the venue. To the audience, this song—just as the music critics had said—was the perfect summary of Ryan Jenkins' twelve-year journey.
Not to mention, the song was both beautiful and incredibly uplifting!
"Ryan! Ryan!"
The shouts from the crowd grew wilder. Posters of Ryan were raised high above their heads, creating a sea of images.
After the performance came the autograph session. Just like before, Ryan maintained his conversational signing style. The benefits of this were obvious: after visiting three cities, his reputation for being warm, kind, and down-to-earth had spread widely among fans.
Some fans even lined up two days in advance just to get the first signature in their city.
Of course, this approach also had its downsides—namely, the fans were growing increasingly bold. Incidents like sneak attacks from female fans were becoming more and more frequent and hard to guard against.
Ryan had once complained about this to Natalie over the phone, only to get thoroughly mocked.
> "Ryan Jenkins, you're just showing off at this point. Fine, you'll never have to worry about finding a girlfriend again."
Date one of my fans? Unless I've lost my mind! Ryan didn't take it to heart.
He would be spending the rest of his vacation on the road. Sometimes he would change cities two or three times in a single week. Fortunately, he had a strong constitution and far more energy than the average person—otherwise, it would have been unbearable.
Hollywood Records was a lower mid-tier label, but it had Disney backing it—a powerful giant. As their only star artist, Ryan received a lot of special treatment. For example, nearly all of the company's resources were focused solely on him—something unimaginable at a major record label.
Of course, all of this was contingent on one thing: the company had recognized his extraordinary musical talent and his strong influence among young people—both of which could translate into real, tangible profits.
And sure enough, just a week later, the results of Ryan Jenkins, the album, had Disney and Hollywood Records grinning from ear to ear.
After the first week, the album had easily sold over 643,500 copies—leaving many new and even established artists in tears.
Well, no one really considered Ryan Jenkins a "newcomer," even if this was technically his debut album.
> "What?! It didn't break a million in the first week?" When Ryan heard the numbers, his eyes widened, shocking John Burns into silence.
He wanted to tell him—this is 643,000, not 64,000! First-week million? What do you think you are—Michael Jackson?
But you couldn't blame Ryan. In his previous life, he had only gotten into the Western music scene in the 21st century, when million-plus debut weeks weren't that rare for established artists.
Still, seeing Burns looking so triumphant, Ryan understood—this result was actually quite impressive.
Following the album release, the label pushed a single to the charts—not one of Ryan's "borrowed" songs, but the original track Climb.
When the new issue of Billboard came out, the song hadn't managed to knock Whitney Houston's I Fly out of the second spot, but it firmly held onto the runner-up position.
Ryan's tour continued. His vacation time was limited, and once school resumed, the Children's Association would definitely come complaining. On top of that, Steven Spielberg had called from Poland, asking him to be in Kraków by the end of February—filming might officially begin in March.
Ryan had to admire the man. For the sake of this film, Spielberg was driving not only himself crazy, but also his entire team. Over two months of pre-production time—what a tight schedule for a film like this!
Of course, having planned it for nearly ten years, Spielberg had clearly done a lot of prep work in advance. Ryan had heard that since last December, part of Spielberg's team had already gone to Poland. Otherwise, getting up to speed this quickly would only be possible with divine help.
Moving from one city to another like a carousel, Ryan's album tour pressed on. After the second week, instead of dropping, the album's sales increased thanks to strong word-of-mouth—selling another 711,300 copies.
Two weeks in, total sales had broken the one-million mark. By broader definitions, Ryan was now a platinum artist—though the number still needed official certification from the RIAA.
Another huge surprise came from Billboard. After holding the top spot for over ten weeks, I Will Always Love You finally ceded its throne, watching as another song by the same writer—Climb—took over the number one position.
> "Whether it's the melody or the lyrics, Climb is filled with the spirit of perseverance and motivation in the face of hardship. It's incredibly uplifting—the best inspirational song of the '90s, bar none!"
— Billboard, Fern Rogers —
> "On this album, Ryan experiments with several music styles—pop, country, even R&B—and he handles them all with ease and grace. Although his youth and developing vocal cords cause some minor imperfections in vocal technique, it's already an impressive effort. More importantly, all of the songs on this album were written entirely by him, showcasing his exceptional musical talent. This is a rare album, full of surprises. In short—you won't regret spending your money on it!"
— Rolling Stone —
> "We don't need to discuss how excellent this album is—anyone who's listened knows how beautiful the songs are. What we want to highlight is Climb. Isn't this inspirational track the perfect reflection of Ryan Jenkins' life? He represents the American Dream! With persistence comes success!"
— Los Angeles Times, Mick Taylor —
Most of the media gave the album high praise. Aside from the quirky track He, the rest—even Ryan's original songs—each had unique appeal and strong sing-along value.
At the same time, a few critics expressed cautious concerns.
> "Ryan's artistic talent is beyond question. But people only have so much energy. After already being involved in novel writing, screenwriting, and film acting, Ryan is now diving into pop music. We worry this might scatter his focus. After all, Hollywood has only ever had one Barbra Streisand. Spreading across too many artistic fields may not be beneficial to his growth."
> "Also, let's not forget—Ryan is still a student. If this continues, we suspect his academic performance will take a nosedive!"
Ryan, reading this report on the plane, casually tossed it aside.
They should worry about their own kids first.